News
ALL-STATE:
• Longs honored by NWS
Lorimor couple Margaret and Ed Long were honored by the National Weather Service as weather watchers for the Lorimor area. See page 5.
I-35’s White, CD’s Pedersen earn INA all-state honors
Events
• Honor band scheduled
page 7
See middle school students perform during the South Central Conference Honor Band March 22. See page 10.
www.osceolaiowa.com
156 YEARS • NO. 11
OSCEOLA, IOWA 50213
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016
Golden anniversary
SINGLE COPY PRICE: $1.00
Get to know Scott Kent: New Clarke County Conservation Board executive director
T.T.T., a national women’s philanthropic organization dedicated to helping young girls, celebrates 50 years in Osceola. ■
By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@ osceolaiowa.com
By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@ osceolaiowa.com
Fifty years is such a major milestone it’s often referred to as a “golden” anniversary. On Monday, March 7, Osceola’s T.T.T.-EL chapter celebrated its 50 year anniversary in the community. A celebration was held at Osceola United Methodist Church. “It means there are some very dedicated women in this community who care about what they’re doing,” said Mary Gibson, chapter president. “They care about young women in the community — young girls. So, for 50 years, they’ve carried this on.”
Scott Kent has come full circle. Kent, who started as the new executive director of Clarke County Conservation Board Feb. 15, originally worked there for three years right out of college. After that, he left to raise whitetail deer for 18 years. Now, Kent’s back and right where he’s always
wanted to be. “It’s taking a long ways, but I’ve finally come back around,” Kent joked. It’s been about a month since Kent has started in the new job, and he’s always open to public feedback about what people would like to see with conservation and the parks. “I love it because there’s a challenge every day,” Kent said. “There’s so many things we’ve got going on. KENT | 3
What is T.T.T.? T.T.T. is a national organization of women who donate their time, talent and treasures to send girls to camp and more. It is a national, nonprofit, philanthropic organization dedicated to providing an educational camping experience for girls who might not otherwise have the chance. T.T.T. believes camping creates an atmosphere that provides each girl with the opportunity to learn her own worth, develop initiative, learn self-expression and live in harmony with others.
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Pictured, from left, are Virginia Ogan, Marjorie Faulkner and Shirley Pennock, 50 year members of the T.T.T. organization. Also pictured is Daphne Emmack-Owens, Iowa state T.T.T. board organizer.
Time, talent and treasures is what T.T.T. stands for with all of its members. The organization was started in Mount Pleasant in January 1911 when two women noticed that boys had plenty to do in the summer months,
but girls did not. The organization has local chapters in 14 states and Washington, D.C. Local chapters meet at least nine times a year, offering women the chance to serve and socialize with other women
Teacher spotlight
dedicated to the same cause. Any woman can be a T.T.T. member, and ages in the organization range from 18 to 95. If someone is interested in joining the chapter,
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Scott Kent, the new executive director of Clarke County Conservation Board, holds a year-old corn snake in his office at East Lake County Park.
GOLDEN | 3
Ehrhardts, local middle school teachers, prove the couple that teaches together, stays together. ■
By AMY HANSEN
they are a brother and sister team. That’s not too often though, especially in a smaller school district like Clarke.
OST news editor • ahansen@ osceolaiowa.com
Would you want to work next to your spouse? Would your personal relationship even be able to make that work? For Lori and Jeff Ehrhardt at Clarke Community Middle School, that’s definitely not a problem. “We see each other at lunch time. That’s about it,” Jeff said. “We get to eat lunch together every day. A lot of people would like that, I’m sure.” Jeff teaches seventh grade math and physical education. Lori teaches seventh grade science and technology. In fact, teaching is how the couple first met, but that was in a small school district in northwest Iowa. Working in the same building is their Pictured are Jeff and Lori Ehrhardt at Clarke Community Middle School. normal. ers in the same building, but Jeff is the one who stays late to have the same students at At Clarke it really works out well for at the school. the same time, especially if a At Clarke, Jeff started them. However, the Ehrhardts learning technique is workteaching in the fall of 1992 Most of the time, they enjoy the fact they have the ing in one classroom that can and Lori started in the fall of have different daily sched- same time off schedule, even be applied in another. 2000. ules. Lori is an early riser and down to having the same “We can work together The couple said there’s likes to get to school early in snow days. that way,” Lori said. “And, positives and negatives to the morning. With coaching, Sometimes it’s also a plus our team as a seventh grade both of them being teachSINGLE SINGLECOPY COPYPRICE: PRICE:$1.00 75¢
Copyright 2016
Index Church Directory .........6 Classifieds ............... 8-9 Editorial ........................4 News ............................5
Obituary .......................3 Public Notices .............5 Record .........................2 Sports....................... 7-8
Secret to success
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
is really good about working well together … That’s beneficial that we can throw those ideas off of each other.” There are times when the students don’t always realize the Ehrhardts are a married couple, or that they think
Weather Your Local Weather Thu
Fri
Sat
3/10
3/11
3/12
60/38
57/45
56/48
Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the upper 30s.
Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the upper 50s and lows in the mid 40s.
Cloudy, periods of rain. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the upper 40s.
What really makes Jeff and Lori work well together is they realize they have to keep their work like at work, and focus on their home life when they are at home. However, they will admit it’s always handy to call a spouse still at home to bring a forgotten cell phone to work. Even when the couple’s children got older, it wasn’t an issue two parents in the same building. “We always knew what they were up to,” Jeff joked. “I don’t think it really bothered them,” Lori added. “They were good students. It always like, ‘I need a signature. If mom’s busy, then go get dad’s signature.’ You know, ‘I need money. If mom doesn’t have it, maybe dad has it.’ Their children even called them mom and dad when they got to school. “Like you say, it wasn’t an issue. You keep school at school and home at home,” Lori said.
Check out Opinion page
Rep. Joel Fry and Osceola Police Chief Marty Duffus have columns on page 4.
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